Courtesy: Florida Highway Patrol
WEST LEALMAN, Fla. - A Pinellas County mother is now facing felony charges months after the Florida Highway Patrol says her 2-year-old son wandered into the road in front of a pickup truck. The truck ran over the child, killing him outside the family’s home.
The backstory:
According to investigators, the crash happened on October 29, 2025, shortly before 4 p.m. along 49th Avenue North near 80th Street North in the West Lealman area of Pinellas County.
FHP says a Ford truck driven by 34-year-old Christian Javier Rodriguez Garcia was stopped in the eastbound lane in front of a home on 49th Avenue North when the toddler, identified as Damian Alexander Cruz Segundo, entered the road from a nearby home.
Troopers say the child walked directly in front of the truck and was run over when the truck began moving.
Investigators say the driver remained at the scene and told troopers he never saw the child because of the toddler’s small size.
Damian was pronounced dead at the scene by St. Petersburg Fire Rescue.
Dig deeper:
According to arrest affidavits, investigators later determined Damian had been left outside unsupervised with siblings when he wandered from the front yard into the road.
On Thursday, nearly six months after the crash, troopers arrested the child’s mother, 32-year-old Alejandra Cruz Segundo.
Alejandra now faces multiple felony charges, including aggravated manslaughter of a child and child neglect causing great bodily harm.
Investigators allege Alejandra failed to supervise Damian and did not protect her son from a preventable tragedy.
Troopers say there was no indication that Rodriguez Garcia was impaired, and no criminal charges against him were listed in the crash report.
Alejandra was booked into the Pinellas County Jail and is being held without bond.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by Florida Highway Patrol arrest affidavits.